


‘cause all my life, I’ve been fighting

by calcliffbas



Series: Elements 101 [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s03e21 Sozin's Comet Part 4 Avatar Aang, Family, Fluff, Gen, Implied Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26781574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calcliffbas/pseuds/calcliffbas
Summary: And now he is here, he holds his destiny in his hands, and Uncle is proud of him, and he feels peace.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Elements 101 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926430
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	‘cause all my life, I’ve been fighting

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Marshmello, ‘Silence’. The [Brian Fallon cover](https://open.spotify.com/track/6nnhFaU7MBTRHZxRTdsjrE) is just… so _Zuko_.  
> I’m on [Tumblr](https://calcliffbas.tumblr.com/)! :)

> _‘Excellent! You've got it!’_
> 
> – Iroh, ‘Bitter Work’.

Zuko’s chest still hurts a little.

He knows it’s not, like, a big deal. Well, it _is_ a big deal – a bolt of lightning is no small matter, he had appreciated this even _before_ Toph came back from consulting with Uncle, the resident lightning specialist, and loudly listed all the dangers and possible side-effects of bending lightning or mishandling said lightning, much to Katara’s consternation – but, you know. He’s alive.

It would probably have been a bigger deal if his chest _didn’t_ hurt a little.

Because that would have meant either that he was dead, which Zuko could probably live with, or that Kat – or that someone else was dead.

Which he couldn’t have lived with.

So he’ll take the pain, because he knows that of these two choices, there is a pain he is able to stand and a pain he would not have been able to stand.

He has finally made the right choice.

It feels good, being on the right side. Not just the winning side – that does feel good, yes, but Zuko had felt peace even when the Avatar had rejected him, because he had _known_ his destiny and he was finally doing the right thing – but the right side. He feels okay when he walks around the palace now.

When Zuko had come back with Azula, none of his clothes had fit. He had been escorted from the palace down to the docks and told to leave when he was thirteen, and he came back three years older and half a foot taller, and none of his clothes had fit. And he had been wearing the robes of the perfect Prince, the son his father wanted, and the royal tailor had made sure they fit _perfectly_.

It wasn’t _Zuko_ that had been wearing them, though.

But now Zuko is trying to prepare himself to wear another set of royal robes, and he’s wondering whether those will fit him, or whether _Zuko_ will have to be _made_ to fit another set of robes he was never meant to wear.

Zuko’s getting ready for his coronation.

Or, rather, he’s trying not to hyperventilate and pass out and miss his coronation.

That would be bad.

“I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Zuko spins around. “Uncle!”

Zuko feels better immediately.

Uncle Iroh steps into the room dressed in his finest robes. He does not wear the insignia of his rank as a General; there will be visiting dignitaries from the Earth Kingdom present at the ceremony. Uncle is a humble man. He does not feel pride in the man he was, but nor does he feel shame. He has forgiven himself, and seeks to be better today than he used to be then.

Zuko thinks he understands.

“I thought I’d come to check up on you,” Uncle is saying, and Zuko tries to pay attention. “This is by no means a small occasion.”

“I think it might be the biggest day of my life,” Zuko says, with an affected casualness that sounds fake even to him.

“The biggest day of your life _so far_ ,” Uncle corrects him. Zuko thinks his broad smile is far too optimistic. That statement just sounds _ominous_ to him.

“I remember thinking that when we were at the South Pole. When we saw the light,” he explains to Uncle, who does not need reminding. He had been right there with him on the deck of the ship, but he lets Zuko explain anyway, and nods along. “The biggest day of my life.”

“When Avatar Aang awoke?”

“Yeah.”

Uncle strokes his beard. “Since our victory, I have had the opportunity to speak at length with the young Avatar.”

Zuko hasn’t been able to talk much with Aang since the Avatar arrived at the palace. He’s been in meeting after meeting – organizing troop withdrawals, organizing the succession whilst the previous Fire Lord is still alive, trying to come to terms with the _mountains_ of paperwork that had built up after Azula had dismissed seemingly any and every minister in the city – and when he’s had a moment to himself, Katara has taken it upon herself to confine him to bedrest and has refused to let him see anyone for more than a few minutes at a time, always under her supervision and _only_ after she has finished a healing session.

They’ve spent a lot of time talking, he and Katara, and it’s been good. Difficult, sometimes, but good. But Zuko does wonder about the twelve-year-old kid who likes talking about glassbending and elephant koi, and spins little breezes to send Suki’s hair into her face.

He hopes Aang’s doing okay. He hopes he’s found a shop that makes good fruit pies.

“Oh?” He asks. “That’s good.”

“Indeed. He is a very friendly young man.”

Zuko privately thinks that _friendly_ can be a synonym for _excitable_ and _flighty_ , but he can’t really judge. When he’d been twelve, he had convinced Uncle to take him on a trip into the city to see the Ma’inka Island Circus, and he’d nearly fallen over in excitement as they bent flames into the story of how Hu Yuyan had won the heart of the noblewoman Yen Mai in an archery contest.

In his defense, he’s pretty sure Uncle had _cried_ at the happy ending.

“Aang’s a really good kid,” he says instead. “I’m glad he’s okay.”

“The Avatar has stated that his victory over Ozai was only made possible by the unlocking of his seventh chakra.”

“Is that right? Uh –” Zuko deepens his voice and tries to sound more cryptic. “I mean – is that right?

From the look on Uncle’s face, he doesn’t sound cryptic at all. That’s fine. He hates Pai Sho anyway.

“Avatar Aang has also stated that he was only able to unlock his final chakra and access the full breadth of his powers as the Avatar due to your wise counsel, Nephew.”

“I don’t know about that, Uncle,” Zuko states honestly.

“Master Sokka and the Lady Suki have also stated that they are profoundly grateful for your advice and wisdom.”

“I don’t know how many profound thoughts Sokka gets,” Zuko says, risking a joke as he shuffles his feet. “We, uh, talked before the Comet. I didn’t think he’d have had another one quite so soon.”

“Zuko,” Uncle Iroh says softly. “Master Sokka is a young man of exceptional creative wit.”

“Sorry, Uncle,” Zuko mumbles, abashed and a little embarrassed. For all that Sokka teases him, he always does it to his face. He doesn’t think Sokka would be talking about him behind his back as Zuko has spoken just now. “He is.”

He resolves to order an extra barrel of seal jerky for the celebratory banquet tonight.

“And you are a young man of great wisdom.”

Zuko shuffles awkwardly. “Well, I’m not so sure about that, Uncle.”

Uncle does not seem deterred from his mission to embarrass Zuko. Zuko thinks that if his mission had been something even half as easy as Uncle’s, he would have been able to return from his banishment within two days. “He has told me of your conversations with the Avatar and his companions.”

“What?”

“I believe he called it… Elements 101?”

Zuko groans. _Half_ a barrel of seal jerky. No more.

“I don’t think I really did that much about those conversations, Uncle. I kind of just… sat there and let them talk about it among themselves.”

“Does a cultivator not delight to see the fire lilies flourishing?” Uncle asks, like that means _anything_ whatsoever.

Zuko frowns. “Is that… something you say when you play the right tile in Pai Sho?”

“Perhaps,” Uncle brightens up like he’s just had an excellent idea. The last time Zuko saw his uncle with that expression, he had been up half the night trying to help Uncle create the perfect mixture for a new blend of assam tea with a lychee berry twist.

“I’m not going to join your weird society, Uncle,” he hastily tries to nip that in the bud. Uh. In a manner of speaking.

Uncle smiles. “That is quite alright, Nephew. I fear you would soon grow tired of Pai Sho.”

“I was thinking more, uh. I’m going to be Fire Lord. I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

“You must be sure to make time, Nephew,” Uncle advises him seriously. “A man needs his rest.”

“Alright, Uncle. I’ll try.”

Uncle’s wearing that look again. Zuko thinks he can see fondness in it. And kindness. And maybe even love, if that’s what love is. “I’m glad to see that your newfound wisdom extends to taking an old man’s advice.”

“I always need to take your advice, Uncle,” Zuko hastens to assure him. He didn’t say it at the North Pole. Uncle deserves to hear it, now. “But, uh, actually, about that… I, uh – you’ve been saying about how Aang and Sokka and Suki were saying I was really wise, and stuff.”

“Your friends think very highly of you, Nephew.”

Friends is hard enough for Zuko to grasp. The rest is somehow even more fantastical. “Uh, cool. But – I didn’t really… do much?” He winces. “I just sort of told them what you once told me, and then we all kind of discussed it, and they figured it out on their own?”

That fond look on Uncle’s face grows a little more real at that, somehow, and he laughs heartily.

“Oh, Zuko,” he chuckles. “You give me far too much credit.”

“What?” Zuko cannot believe this. “Uncle, no! You’ve – you deserve _everything_ , I’ve – I’m sorry if I’ve dishonored you with my ingratitude for what you’ve done for me –”

Uncle raises his hand, and Zuko falls silent.

Uncle’s hand is warm and firm as he rests it on Zuko’s shoulder.

“Zuko,” he says seriously. “You have told me that you only gave your friends a piece of wisdom you once heard from an old man.”

“Um. Yes?”

“Is that correct?”

A Fire Lord does not stutter. “Yes, Uncle.”

“And then your friends pondered the meaning of this piece of wisdom for themselves.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“And then they discerned the truth of the matter for themselves.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Nephew,” Uncle tells him gently. He has not always been gentle with Zuko, but he has always loved him. Uncle has always wanted the best for him, and Zuko sees this now. “You have done for your friends exactly what I have done for you. You are kind to your uncle, to honor me as you do. Be kind to yourself, Zuko, and allow your friends to honor you in like fashion.”

He removes his hand from Zuko’s shoulder, and looks at him steadily. He is an old man, but there is a glint of gold in his eyes and warm coals in his belly, and his fire burns brightly still.

“I am proud of you, Nephew,” Uncle says. “You make me proud.”

A Fire Lord does not cry. A Fire Lord does not fidget, or swallow hard to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. But Zuko is not the Fire Lord yet. He’s not sure he’ll ever be that sort of Fire Lord.

He looks at his Uncle and he’s not sure he _wants_ to be.

“Uncle,” he begins hesitantly. “I know we – we don’t really talk about stuff.”

“We talk about all sorts of things, Nephew.”

“I mean, uh. Important stuff.”

“We have discussed the delicate nature of steeping ginseng tea on many occasions, Nephew.”

Whenever Uncle had rambled on about tea in Ba Sing Se, Zuko had remained stubbornly silent, lying on his bedroll with his arms folded, glaring up at the ceiling. It had not dimmed Uncle’s enthusiasm.

“Like feelings.”

Uncle allows Zuko to fidget for a moment before touching his sleeve. Right. The coronation. He’s going to be Fire Lord.

He steels himself. He didn’t say it at the North Pole. Uncle deserves to hear it, now.

“What I mean is – Uncle, I just wanted to say –”

There are footsteps at the door, and then they suddenly stop.

“Oh,” Katara squeaks. “Sorry! I didn’t, um – sorry, I didn’t know you were in here, General. Sorry.”

“It is quite alright, Master Katara,” Uncle says amiably. “My presence here is not expected, as my schedule is quite rigorous today.”

“You’re supposed to be somewhere?” Zuko picks up on this. “Uncle, if you need to go –”

Uncle Iroh chuckles at his flustered expression. “Nonsense, Nephew. I am here now, with you. And I can stay for as long as you need me.”

Zuko’s mother and Lu Ten had always teased him about how he got embarrassed easily. He smiles at the memory and rubs his neck. “I just meant, Uncle – if you’re needed somewhere else, you shouldn’t be late.”

Uncle waves his hand easily. “When you get to my age, Nephew, you will realise that you have spent far too long hurrying about, and not enough time with the people you love. The coronation is not dependent upon _my_ presence, after all.”

Right. It’s the biggest day of his life so far.

“Master Katara,” Uncle is saying. “My friend Master Pakku is of a mind that you are one of the most talented waterbenders he has had the privilege of teaching.”

Katara blushes at the praise, but she nods proudly. “Master Pakku is a really good teacher.”

From his position out of Uncle’s line of sight, Zuko raises an eyebrow. She can’t make a face at him, but he can tell she wants to.

“Katara’s incredible, Uncle,” he speaks up, deciding that he can at least make up for it so she won’t freeze his drinks at the banquet. “She’s so strong. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who’s gotten as good as she has as quickly as she has.”

The red in Katara’s dark cheeks seems especially vibrant now, but Zuko knows that she’s not one to back down. “I kind of had to get good,” she tells him, proving him right. “You were pretty persistent, if you remember.”

“I remember,” he says. “You were really good at the, uh. The Spirit Oasis.”

“Until the sun came up,” she mutters, pouting slightly. Zuko can see the funny side of her irritation.

“I mean, you _did_ win the rematch pretty convincingly,” he offers.

“I don’t think that even counts as a rematch,” Katara smirks. “I think I said that back then, too.”

“Would this rematch have been an occasion that took place upon our travels through the Earth Kingdom?” Uncle asks, and Zuko jumps. He’d forgotten Uncle was there.

Judging by the way Katara quickly turns towards Uncle, he thinks she might have, too.

“No!” She squeaks, before clearing her throat. “I mean, um – no, General Iroh. This was, uh, at the North Pole. In a snowstorm.”

“When Zhao blew up my ship,” Zuko says.

“I do remember our time at the North Pole, nephew,” Uncle says. “There was a very friendly turtle seal that seemed happy to make my acquaintance.”

“Zhao blew up your ship?” Katara asks.

“Yeah.” Zuko pulls a face. “Kind of hurt.”

“But my nephew survived his injuries,” Uncle says, albeit unnecessarily. “He is a rather determined young man,” he adds, also unnecessarily. “And rather handsome, too!”

_I know you’ve got somewhere else to be, Uncle!_

“That, um, reminds me.” Katara winces. “The part where you got hurt, I mean! I, um – wanted to check how you were doing. With, uh –” she makes a vague gesture towards his chest. “That.”

“Oh. I’m, uh. I’m doing okay.” Zuko fiddles with the hem of his sleeve.

Toph had told him there’s nothing wrong with letting the people who love you help you. Apparently, Uncle had told her that. And Uncle and Katara have come by to see him.

He thinks that’s what love is, maybe.

“It sort of stings a bit,” he admits. “And I’m, uh. Feeling kind of tired. But I think that’s just because I’m busy all the time now.”

Katara looks at Uncle, and then back to Zuko. He is immediately wary of the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Well, if you want,” she says. “I could leaf you alone. If you’re bushed.”

The way Uncle’s face lights up and his eyes bore into Zuko’s as if he is trying to tell him something is utterly terrifying.

“No!” He hurries to reassure Katara, who is giggling into her sleeve right now. “No, it’s not a problem – I’m fine, you’re fine. You’re really fine! Uh –”

“I think, Lady Katara, that what my nephew means to say,” Iroh says, cutting Zuko’s _spirits-damned_ babbling off. “Is that your presence is in no way an inconvenience, and in every way a pleasure.”

 _Agni curse it all_. “Didn’t you say you had a schedule to keep, Uncle?”

Katara thwacks him on the shoulder lightly, because she is considerate of his injuries. Toph would have thumped him in the stomach, probably.

“That’s very kind of you to say, General,” she thanks the sneaky old man.

“Please, Lady Katara,” Uncle says. “Call me Uncle.”

Zuko _glares_ at him.

“Oh.” Katara smiles. “Thanks, Uncle.”

“It is no bother. The Lady Toph has graced me with an affectionate nickname. It is only right that such a close friend of my nephew be afforded the same closeness.”

“Well, you can call me Katara, then. Zuko doesn’t call me a Lady.” She gives him a mock glare of disapproval, and he gulps.

Uncle tuts disapprovingly. “And yet you would make a _wonderful_ Lady. Wouldn’t you agree, Nephew?”

Zuko is not going to banish his Uncle. He can’t, anyway. Not until he’s Fire Lord. Maybe he’ll have reconsidered and had a change of heart by then. Perhaps.

“How rigorous was that _schedule_ of yours for today, Uncle?” He asks instead.

“Ah, yes!” Uncle perks up as if he’d completely forgotten. “Yes, I suppose I should be going. I shan’t keep you any longer, Nephew. Miss Katara, it has been _wonderful_ to speak with you.”

“You too, Uncle,” Katara gives him a little wave. Zuko tries his hardest not to snort. She shoots him a scowl before she turns back to Uncle with a smile. “It’s been really nice. We haven’t had many opportunities to chat – with everything going on.”

“I’m sure that there will be many opportunities in the future for us to get to know each other, Katara.”

“I hope so.”

Uncle smiles and gives Katara a small bow, but then he turns to Zuko and bows from the waist. It is not the bow of an aged man to a member of his family. It is the bow of a subject to his ruler.

“Um,” Zuko says. “Uncle.”

“You make me very proud, Zuko,” Uncle says again. “However I may show you, I shall.”

Oh. Zuko shuffles his feet. “Uncle, before you go. About earlier. I was going to say –”

“Forgive me, nephew,” Uncle interrupts, suddenly waving his hand in the air. “I am afraid I must leave you in Miss Katara’s capable hands. My schedule tells me that I have somewhere to be on this auspicious day.”

Zuko watches dumbly as Uncle demonstrates a surprising turn of pace for a man his age, and slips out of the door with alacrity.

And he is left with Katara.

“Your Uncle seems really nice,” she says conversationally.

“Don’t be fooled,” he replies. “He’s, uh. Terrible. Absolutely awful. You shouldn’t spend time with him. Don’t get to know him.”

Uncle knows all the embarrassing stories. _All_ of them.

“That’s kind of strange,” Katara raises her eyebrows at him teasingly. “I remember thinking you seemed pretty terrible before I got to know you.”

Zuko manages a huffed laugh. “Uh, yeah. I think I probably was.”

“But then I got to know you,” Katara tells him, and she puts her hand on his arm gently. “And now I think you’re a really great guy, Zuko.”

“Uh,” he says, because he’s not Fire Lord yet, and he’s allowed to stutter. “Thanks. You’re pretty – pretty great, too.”

“No,” she shakes her head and gives his arm a squeeze. “No, Zuko, I mean it. You’re – you’ve changed so much. And you’re still awkward, don’t get me wrong – and your jokes _suck_ –”

“You just used my joke,” he points out, smiling despite himself. “You can’t have thought it was _that_ bad –”

“But what I _mean_ is,” Katara interrupts, and their push and pull stops for a moment as he lets her lead. “You’re _good_ , Zuko. You’re – you’re brave, and you _care_ , and you left but you came _back_ , and you love Toph even when she’s being a complete pest, and _spirits,_ you helped Sokka get my dad out of _prison_ , and you _fight_ for people, and you’re a powerful bender, and –”

She trails off, which Zuko is honestly kind of glad about, because he was getting a little uncomfortable with the sudden burst of approval, like rainfall showers or a sudden flood. He’s not used to it, and Katara is so free with her praise, he feels like a fire lily that blossoms in the sunlight.

“You’re going to be a really good Fire Lord, Zuko,” Katara finishes, gentle and fierce all at once. She is the ocean, and who can hope to tame her?

“Thank you, Katara,” he manages to say.

She meets his gaze with blue, blue eyes. “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

Zuko blinks. Oh, right. That’s what she’s here for.

“So, uh,” Katara shuffles her feet, and the moment passes. “Do you, um. Want to sit down?”

She has to help Zuko extricate himself from his tunic, and he’s not looking forward to getting his outfit on. He knows the Fire Lord’s robes weigh a tonne – his father had used to complain about them after particularly onerous council meetings. The ceremonial ones he’ll be wearing for his coronation have an extra fifteen pounds of jewels and gold thread woven into them.

In a few hours’ time, Zuko will be leading a nation, but for now, he sits with Katara and breathes.

The cool of the water feels nice as Katara moves her hands over his scar. It is a jagged thing, which Zuko thinks is somewhat appropriate, caused as it was by lightning.

“Does it hurt?” Katara asks quietly, as she moves on to bandaging his torso. He had landed pretty heavily on his shoulder.

“It’s not that bad,” Zuko says softly. “I, uh. Managed to redirect most of it.”

She bites her lip. “Right. Because your uncle taught you how.”

“Yeah.”

“By studying waterbenders.”

“Some waterbenders are really talented,” Zuko tells her. “You can learn a lot from them.”

“I guess so,” Katara’s fingertips brush over the outlines of the scar. “I think you’ve taught them a lot, too.”

Zuko breathes in and feels peace.

“I think we’ll be okay now,” Katara whispers. “We’re here, now. We’re good.”

Zuko breathes out and opens his eyes. Katara is fiddling with the bandages as she places them next to a basin she keeps on the windowsill, but she keeps looking back at him every few moments. He can understand that.

When he saw where Azula was aiming –

_No!_

He hadn’t even thought twice.

Uncle once told him he never thinks things through. For once, Zuko thinks that Uncle would be proud of him.

Zuko remembers that Uncle _is_ proud of him, and he feels peace.

“Sokka wants to get some good seats for the coronation,” Katara tells him. She’s looking down at her feet. “So, I, um. Probably need to get going.”

Zuko understands that. It’s going to be really busy today. If Katara needs to go, he can’t ask her to stay. “That’s cool. Is, uh, is your dad going to be there?”

She perks up. “Yeah, he’s coming. That’s why Sokka wants to grab the seats early.”

“Right,” Zuko agrees. “So you can get a good view.”

“Yeah,” she bobs her head. “So, I’ll, um. See you later?”

Zuko’s nod is maybe a little too eager, but he isn’t the Fire Lord yet. He can get away with stuff like that. “Yeah, definitely. I’ll… see you at the banquet?”

Katara smiles at him and she’s healed him and his heart beats in his chest.

“We can talk more then,” she tells him. “So, I’ll catch you later?”

“We can talk more later this evening,” Zuko says. He risks holding her eyes as he smiles back at her. “I’d like that.”

She colors slightly. “So, uh, yeah. See you later, then. When you’re Fire Lord Hotman.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes and she’s laughing as she ducks out the door. Zuko turns back to his robes and contemplates them with the intensity he had once contemplated maps of the Air Temples.

Three years ago, Zuko was an exile. He has been a fugitive, a refugee, a returning hero, a Crown Prince, a traitor, a firebending master. Zuko has been many things, and he’s had to struggle and fight every step of the way.

And now he is here, he holds his destiny in his hands, and Uncle is proud of him, and he feels peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Jamie. 
> 
> Does Zuko love that scene from Disney's _Robin Hood_ as it was acted out by a circus troupe? Maybe.  
> [Ma’inka Island](https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Ma'inka_Island) is mentioned in _The Shadow of Kyoshi_.  
> Any recognisable quotes are from _A:TLA_.
> 
> Just a _Korra_ epilogue to go! :)


End file.
